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At Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:54:09 -0800, Chris Fitzpatrick wrote: > > Thanks everyone for all the recommendations. I know this would be this list to ask. > > Sounds like Ubuntu is the overwhelming favorite. In the past when > I've used a linux in a non-server computer, there are always some > annoying problems... things like the laptop not waking from sleep > mode, power consumption problems, or the microphone not working. > > So, I wondering about specific laptop brands/models and linux > distributions/versions that people have found to work really well. A > Dell or ThinkPad with Ubuntu seems to be the popular choice? > > But, yeah, I know i started it, but I'm going to avoid going deeper > into my opinions on Apple vs. Windows vs. Linux and the implications > vis-à-vis productivity, copyright, social justice, and the plight of > the polar bear. If only out of concern that introducing this > discussion might cause the poor mail server at ND to meltdown….. For what its worth, I run Ubuntu happily on my old (2007) macbook. The only real tricky part is the lack of 2 pointer buttons. So you don’t need to get rid of the mac to switch off OS X. That said, I would not buy a mac again, if only because Apple has gone into full-bore evil mode. Finally, in my biased experience, a system running Ubuntu is now more usable than a system running OS X. This is my experience, and I am not going to argue about it. :) I imagine it works even better if you buy a system that is certified or pre-installed. And if you are interested in a netbook, although Ubuntu has discontinued the Ubuntu Netbook Edition, I think the Unity interface is pretty slick on a small netbook screen. best, Erik